Many people always say: lol~!! what is "lol" !? i don't know what they say lol's mean!? – anonymous

This expression is used a lot in texts and internet chats, and means Laugh Out Loud. It’s an expression of amusement. You may also encounter ROFL (Rolling On the Floor Laughing) and LMAO (Laughing My Ass Off), or even ROFLMAO. I think you can figure that one out!

What does "across the board" mean in the following sentence? The tournament broke with its tradition to join the Australian and US Opens in paying equal prize money across the board in all events and in all stages of competition. - anonymous

“Across the board” means applying to everyone equally, for example, if a company implements pay rises across the board, everyone gets a pay rise! In this sentence, the tournament paid equal prize money to all contestants in all stages and events.

May a ask u what is party animal? when i stay up party ,someone called me party animal.what is thatmean? – Debby

A “party animal” is anyone who loves to party and do so frequently, particularly those who stay up really late, and/or go crazy on the dance floor, possibly consuming large amounts of alcohol in the process! This expression stems from the fact that wild animals are considered irrational and uncontrolled.

It’s generally used as an expression of admiration, and you shouldn’t consider it to be an insult ;)

Does the word 'bird' has a third meaning? I know two, one is the creature that can fly and the other is used to say someone, eg A bird told me this. Thank you and best regards. – anonymous

“Bird” is the nickname for famous jazz saxophone player Charlie Parker.

A “birdie” is the term used in golf, when you get a hole 1 under par. For example, the hole is par 4 and you complete the hole in 3 shots.

There is a common expression that says “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”, which means it is better to enjoy what one has than to worry or dream about something that may be impossible to attain.

To “flip someone the bird” means to extend your middle finger in a rude gesture!

“The birds and the bees” is a polite expression that refers to sex education. (“Sammy is 11 years old, it’s time we taught him about the birds and the bees”)

“Birds of a feather flock together”. The expression birds of a feather means birds of the same type. Transferred to humans, the expression refers to people having similar interests, opinions, or backgrounds.

Many birds begin to stir and sing most noticeably at the first sign of daylight in the morning. Therefore, a person who gets up or arrives early is an earlybird.

It is a traditional belief that birds, because of their typically small size, do not eat much. Therefore, a human who eats little is said to eat like a bird. The truth, however, is that birds eat more in relation to their size than humans do!

The old proverb to kill two birds with one stone means to achieve two goals with a single effort. (“I wanted to take out my new bicycle for some exercise, and I had to pick up the paperwork from the office, so I killed two birds with one stone.”)

to kill two birds with one stone has its similar expression in Armenian with the same meaning , eg.'' to kill two bunnies with one shot'', i wonder how interesting may the difference of languages be according to the different ways of thinking....on the whole i liked this blog.....again huge thx to Larissa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What are the differences between historic and historical? and When can we use the both of them? - tyr

“Historic” is an adjective that means something important or influential in history, for example “The moon landing was a historic occasion.” It was an important occasion. It would be incorrect to say, “We keep historic records” unless they are records that are important to history. You’ve probably heard TV announcers refer to “historic occasions” or perhaps you’ve visited some “historic houses” or “historic battlefields.” All of these were important or famous things in history.

“Historical,” is an adjective that refers to anything from the past, important or not. We can say, “We keep historical records” because these records are from the past; they’re probably not so important. A “historical occasion” would be just some occasion in the past; it wasn’t necessarily an important occasion. “Historical documents” are just documents that record the past. You’ve probably read a “historical novel” or perhaps even a “historical romance,” which are books set in the past. There is nothing especially important about these books; if they were, they’d be “historic books.” The Gutenberg Bible would be a historic book, for example.

Any past event is historical, but only the most memorable and important ones are historic.

I want to find my clients on B2B or on line, but the question is that I don’t know how to start a conversation, and how to tract their interest in my products. Could you help me out of this condition? Thankyou. Sincerly, Elaine

First, it’s important that you know who your target audience is. Is it a particular age group? A specific type of business? A group of people with a common interest? Determining your target market is the first part of the battle.

Try to avoid flashy, baseless claims, as people don’t trust them, and will assume it is a scam. For example…

Do you want to triple your business and halve your costs? Call me and I’ll make you rich in 30 days!

New miracle product!! You won’t believe your eyes!!

Be honest and straight and to the point. Because of all the advertising and spam on the internet, people have short attention spans, and you need to get the important information to them in the first 5 seconds. It’s more effective to send written information to them by email than to try to converse with them, as business people like to have time to read, think things over, and compare companies before making a decision.

Avoid small talk, polite conversation, or baseless claims. Just state the important facts as concisely as possible. Such as…

Good morning Mr Adams,

My name is Elaine and I’d like to introduce you to X Company, the city’s leading supplier of Y product. We’ve been operating since 1995 and sell only high quality products.

i fall in love a australia man.but i dont know how to express my feeling.sometimes i am too boring.and he said he hope i can make more progress.i dont know his mean.could u help me? thanks – Amy Pang

Being an Australian woman, I think I’m qualified to give you advice on this, Amy!

First of all, I don’t think it’s so important for you to learn romantic phrases to express your love for him – don’t waste too much time on that. Most Australian men prefer you to show your love rather than talk about it. Instead, you should focus on learning to talk about things that are interesting to him.

What do he and his friends talk about? Are they interested in current affairs and politics? If so, focus on this. Each day, try to read a few articles from the newspaper. Look up new vocabulary and write it down, then memorize the words. What about his job? His hobbies? Look up articles and vocabulary lists on the internet that relate to his profession and pastimes, and as always, make a note of all vocabulary and expressions you learn and their definitions. Of course, you must PRACTICE using this information quickly, so it stays in your brain – don’t be too afraid to try. Ask your boyfriend to correct and help you where necessary.

Lastly, remember to do the same for YOUR interests – most men are looking for women who have their own opinions, interests and hobbies as well. Spend time reading books, articles, and vocabulary relating to things that are important to you, so you can have interesting discussions when you’re together.

My problem is how to use tense. It troubles me a lot especially when I am talking to Foreigners. Can you help me? – Kitty

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to magically use your tenses correctly! Here is my suggestion to help you improve.

Make a list of all the tenses you want to learn, revise or improve. Then, list them in order from easiest to hardest. You should start with tenses you are already confident with, like simple present. Each day, study a new tense from your list. First read some examples of them (you can find plenty on the internet: just type ESL “simple present tense” (or whatever tense you’re focusing on). Then, practice speaking and writing different sentences using that tense. Try to use negatives and questions, different people and pronouns, and include the appropriate time phrases, for example…

If possible, get someone to check your work to make sure it is correct.

Each day, do this with a new tense, then revise all your previous tenses. For example, if you want to study simple past tense on your second day, you might write 10 simple past sentences, and 3 or 4 simple present sentences as well – just to make sure you don’t forget!

When you get good, you might want to try using different combinations of mixed tenses, for example…

- I hate eating liver, so I told my mother I wasn’t hungry. (simple present and simple past)
- I was sick last week, so I won’t be able to take the test on Monday. (simple past and ‘will’ future)

This is my first time to travel in America,and I shall arrive Boston in several hours. My friend, Jane, asked me to go to Charlesbank Park and send a message her,then she'll come to pick up me to her house as soon as possible (She suddenly have a meeting).The problem is,this is my first trip in the US,and I even do not have a map of Boston.I would like to ask local people for help(to get the right way to there),but I don't know what to say to him or her(I'm still a minor,I did not learn too much English,and I'm too nervous to come up with how to ask them for help.).Can you tell me what I should say or do? - Mike Ajay

Firstly, I’d suggest you by yourself a phrasebook – they usually have all the phrases you need as a traveler! Here are some useful phrases to get you started. Always say “Excuse me” to get someone’s attention before you start talking to them.

“Where can I catch a bus/a taxi/the train/the subway to Charlesbank Park?”

“What is the easiest way for me to get to Charlesbank Park?”

“Where can I find a public phone to call my friend?”

Look for people who are not in a rush, as these people will make you feel flustered and you’ll make more mistakes. Remember that all airports have tourist information as well, who should be able to provide you with a map! Don’t be afraid or shy – just speak slowly and clearly. Many people in foreign countries speak softly because they’re embarrassed about their poor English, but this won’t help you be understood. Remember - if you’re polite and use ‘excuse me’, ‘please’, and ‘thank you’, most people will be happy to help you!

Nice to "Meet" you. I will meet my new customer next week. I am wondering what kind of topics should I talk about? – Serena

When you meet a new customer, it’s important to choose your conversation topics wisely, particularly if this customer is an ongoing client who is likely to spend a lot of money with the company!

Obviously, you will talk about the products and services you will provide, and the benefits you can give to your customer, such as how you can improve their business or lifestyle. But before you get into this, you’ll need to start with some small talk.

Some appropriate small-talk topics are:

Sports. “Did you catch the Crows game last night? Talk about suspense!”

Weather – but not for too long, it gets boring quickly! “Wow, it’s really hot outside! I wonder when this heatwave will finish?”

Family – but only in a general way, don’t get too personal. “That’s a beautiful photo of your kids. My wife will give birth to our first child in September.” NOT: “You know, my son got kicked out of school last week. I don’t know what to do about him. It’s been so hard since my husband left.”

Holidays. “We’ve been thinking about heading to the beach for our holidays this year. You look like a surfer, do you have any recommendations? We went to Bali last year.” Don’t talk about costs or how much you spent!

Fashion and trends. “I LOVE those shoes, where did you get them? Green has always been my favourite colour.” Don’t ask how much they cost!

There is no easy answer to this question! Certainly in the beginning, you will probably use a little bit of ‘Chinglish’, but here are some tips to help you break the habits.

Communicate with native speakers, pay attention to their speech patterns and ask them to correct you. There are many ways to find native speakers on the internet, including through the Englishtown community, and of course, Englishtown live classes!

Read books in English, and watch English TV or movies, preferably with English subtitles. Pay attention to any phrases or sentences that are different to the way you speak, and make a note of them.

Purchase or borrow a book called "Common Spoken Errors of the Chinese" by Joseph and Linda Boyle.

Here are a list of common ‘Chinglish’ mistakes and their corrections.

There are many more that you can find on the internet if you do a search. Good luck!

I would like to ask you what does the word "little package " mean? I read it from one of oral English book which explained that it means "little kid". – Violet

This phrase definitely depends on the context! It could mean a small box or parcel that is delivered to your house. It is also sometimes used as slang to refer to a baby, particularly before it is born, or just after it is born.

There is a common expression in English that says; “The best things come in small packages”, although the origin of this is thought to be a doctor delivering a baby.

The phrase is sometimes used in marketing campaigns to highlight the benefits of a small-sized product. Here are some examples I found:

some people meet their friends,I usually heard most people asked:"are you ok?".I don't know this greeting way is good or bad,and why? I think it is not impolit. – Stephen

There are many ways to greet our friends, but usually “Are you ok?” is only used when you are concerned for the person. For example, if the person has been sick, or looks unwell, or has just fallen on the ground! Some better ways to make a general greeting and casual inquiry are as follows:

“How are you?”

“How have you been?”

“How’s life treating you?”

“How’s it going?”

“How is everything?”

It’s important to note that when we make these greetings, we don’t pronounce them formally. Instead, they should sound as follows…

Then, introduce the topic and explain why the PA workshop is important to you, and how it would be of benefit to him.

As you may be aware, there is a PA Workshop at the end of the year. I think that my attendance could be of great benefit to us, and to the company. It would help to improve my ability to communicate with other members of the company, as well as increasing my productivity and efficiency in the office. As a result of this, you would be able to perform your job more effectively, and our entire department would reap the benefits.

Afterwards, address his potential doubts.

I realise the course is quite expensive, but I feel that we will see that money returned with a reduction in outsourcing costs as a result of my improved efficiency. If you read the brochure I have attached, you will see that 90% of graduates show a marked improvement in job performance resulting in the satisfaction of their superiors.

Finally, finish it off in a positive and professional way.

I look forward to your response. If you require more information, please advise me and I will make inquries.

My English teacher want me to find out some questions. What do "medium school" and "secondary school" mean in the USA? How to define and explain them? Thank you for answer my questions. – Jenny

In the USA there are three levels of basic schooling – elementary school (sometimes called primary school), middle school (sometimes called junior high school), and high school (sometimes called secondary school). They are generally as follows:

Elementary School: Kindergarten, then 1st grade to 5th grade. Students usually graduate at 11 years old.

Middle School: 6th grade to 8th grade.

High School: 9th grade to 12th grade. Students usually graduate at 18 years old.

Remember that the ages of students in these grades can differ slightly from area to area.

I applied the visiting scholar, and i do not know how to write an application letter to a foreign university or college. Would you help me? – Judy

The letter of application to study in a foreign university should include the following things:

1.Why you have chosen the particular field of study.

2.Why you have chosen the particular school.

3.Your qualities, traits, educational background, interests, goals, and any other information that shows you are a good applicant for the school.

Here is an example letter:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am a business graduate of the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh. Although this university has given me a strong knowledge of business practice, I have an ambition to strengthen my knowledge and broaden my horizons with higher studies in a developed country.

I plan to create an innovative global business that will revolutionize the way people communicate and produce. It is well known that the MBA Program at the University of Adelaide produces knowledgeable and well rounded graduates who are prepared for the business world. I strongly believe that through the this program, I can gain the skills and knowledge to realize my business dreams. I believe I can strengthen my expertise in leadership, negotiation, professional integrity and social responsibility, so that I can become a more effective and responsible business manager in the future. I look forward to being given the opportunity to hone my existing skills in Australia, and ultimately use these skills to improve professional practices and business skills in my homeland.

I completed my business degree with honors, with my strengths in Economics, Marketing and International Trade. During this time I was the Student Council President, and worked part-time as an assistant manager at a book store. I also started a volunteer program with 3 other students that provided free managerial support to failing local businesses, and organized sponsorship grants for socially responsible companies that needed assistance.

I look forward to obtaining the distinct advantage of Adelaide University’s program and remarkable faculty members. I hope you will take a favorable decision regarding my application for admission.

Apart from that, the best songs to learn with are the ones you like and enjoy! This will give you the most enjoyment and motivation to continue learning and improving your English. You can find the lyrics to any song on the internet by typing (for example): lyrics “If I were a boy” beyonce. But be careful: sometimes song lyrics are not always grammatically correct, and even use words that don’t exist!

What is ballot tampering? Someone said it is any type of activities for electioneering. But when I serched it on line, mostly it had negative meaning. And all the time there was an article about black box voting as a related news.

So what is correct meaning? Is there anyone who can tell me the clear definition of ballot tampering? - Esme

‘Ballot tampering’ does have a negative meaning! It refers to deliberate incorrect counting of votes, or changing the correct results of an election. Congratulations on using the medium of television to improve your English understanding!

The only difference between these quantifiers is the formality. With friends or family, we might say “Can I have a bit more honey/butter/syrup?”, whereas if we were writing a request letter at work, it would probably say “We need a little more time/paper/printer ink/money to complete this project.” Both are used only with uncountable nouns.

We can use ‘some’, ‘a lot of’ or ‘lots of’ with uncountable nouns, or plural countable nouns. “There were some/a lot of people at the party” or “There was some/a lot of food at the party”.

Quantifiers such as ‘a bunch of’, ‘a few’ or ‘several’ can only be used with plural countable nouns. “We’ve got a bunch of reports to finish”, “We’ve got a few hours left to do them”, and, “There’s several people calling wanting to know where the reports are.”

I hope that helps you with some of your English problems, and gives you a little clarity!